Fregar Conjugation in Spanish

The Spanish verb fregar means to scrub, to wash (dishes), and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. Fregar means to wash up or to scrub: fregar los platos, fregar el suelo. In Spain it is the standard verb for washing the dishes; in Latin America lavar los platos is more common. Like every Spanish verb, fregar changes its ending for each person and tense, and this page gives you the complete picture: every tense, every person, the gerund and the past participle, all from the verified conjugation tables. For example, in the present tense you say Yo friego los platos después de cenar — "I wash the dishes after dinner". Work through the tables below, read the notes for each tense, and then test yourself with the examples, the common mistakes and the quiz at the end of the page.

The stem vowel changes in the stressed forms of the present: friego, friegas, friega and friegan — but nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: fregamos, fregáis.

Quick facts

  • Infinitive: fregar
  • English: to scrub, to wash (dishes)
  • Verb type: stem-changing -ar verb (e → ie)
  • Ending: -ar
  • Gerund: fregando
  • Past participle: fregado
  • Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + fregado)

Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for fregar, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.

Full conjugation tables

Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for fregar. The imperfect subjunctive is shown in its -ra forms; the -se forms use the same stem.

Present indicative

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | friego | | tú | friegas | | él/ella/Ud. | friega | | nosotros/as | fregamos | | vosotros/as | fregáis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | friegan |

Preterite

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | fregué | | tú | fregaste | | él/ella/Ud. | fregó | | nosotros/as | fregamos | | vosotros/as | fregasteis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | fregaron |

Imperfect

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | fregaba | | tú | fregabas | | él/ella/Ud. | fregaba | | nosotros/as | fregábamos | | vosotros/as | fregabais | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | fregaban |

Future

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | fregaré | | tú | fregarás | | él/ella/Ud. | fregará | | nosotros/as | fregaremos | | vosotros/as | fregaréis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | fregarán |

Conditional

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | fregaría | | tú | fregarías | | él/ella/Ud. | fregaría | | nosotros/as | fregaríamos | | vosotros/as | fregaríais | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | fregarían |

Present perfect

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | he fregado | | tú | has fregado | | él/ella/Ud. | ha fregado | | nosotros/as | hemos fregado | | vosotros/as | habéis fregado | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | han fregado |

Pluperfect

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | había fregado | | tú | habías fregado | | él/ella/Ud. | había fregado | | nosotros/as | habíamos fregado | | vosotros/as | habíais fregado | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | habían fregado |

Future perfect

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | habré fregado | | tú | habrás fregado | | él/ella/Ud. | habrá fregado | | nosotros/as | habremos fregado | | vosotros/as | habréis fregado | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrán fregado |

Conditional perfect

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | habría fregado | | tú | habrías fregado | | él/ella/Ud. | habría fregado | | nosotros/as | habríamos fregado | | vosotros/as | habríais fregado | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrían fregado |

Present subjunctive

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | friegue | | tú | friegues | | él/ella/Ud. | friegue | | nosotros/as | freguemos | | vosotros/as | freguéis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | frieguen |

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | fregara | | tú | fregaras | | él/ella/Ud. | fregara | | nosotros/as | fregáramos | | vosotros/as | fregarais | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | fregaran |

Imperative (affirmative)

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | tú | friega | | él/ella/Ud. | friegue | | nosotros/as | freguemos | | vosotros/as | fregad | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | frieguen |

Imperative (negative)

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | tú | friegues | | él/ella/Ud. | friegue | | nosotros/as | freguemos | | vosotros/as | freguéis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | frieguen |

Gerund and past participle

Form Spanish Use
Gerund fregando with estar for the progressive: está fregando
Past participle fregado with haber for the perfect tenses: he fregado

How to use each tense

Present indicative

Use the present for routines, general facts and what is happening right now. The stem vowel changes in the stressed forms of the present: friego, friegas, friega and friegan — but nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: fregamos, fregáis. For fregar, the present indicative looks like this in a real sentence: Yo friego los platos después de cenar — "I wash the dishes after dinner".

Preterite

Use the preterite for finished actions with a clear end, often with ayer, el año pasado or anoche. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For fregar, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, yo fregué el suelo de la cocina — "Yesterday, I washed the kitchen floor".

Imperfect

Use the imperfect for background, habits and actions in progress in the past, often with de niño, antes or mientras. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For fregar, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, yo fregaba la sartén con estropajo — "As a child, I used to wash the pan with a scourer".

Future

Use the future for plans, predictions and promises, often with mañana, el año que viene or pronto. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For fregar, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, yo fregaré los vasos antes de la fiesta — "Tomorrow, I will wash the glasses before the party".

Conditional

Use the conditional for polite requests, hypotheticals and what would happen, often with si clauses. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For fregar, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Yo fregaría los platos después de cenar si pudiera — "I would wash the dishes after dinner if I could".

Present perfect

Use the present perfect for recent actions and experiences, often with hoy, esta semana or ya. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For fregar, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, yo he fregado el suelo de la cocina — "Today, I have washed the kitchen floor".

Pluperfect

Use the pluperfect when one past action happened before another past action. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For fregar, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Yo ya había fregado la sartén con estropajo antes de salir — "I already had washed the pan with a scourer before leaving".

Future perfect

Use the future perfect for something that will already be finished by a future time. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For fregar, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, yo habré fregado los vasos antes de la fiesta — "By tomorrow, I will have washed the glasses before the party".

Conditional perfect

Use the conditional perfect for what would have happened under different conditions. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For fregar, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Yo habría fregado los platos después de cenar con más tiempo — "I would have washed the dishes after dinner with more time".

Present subjunctive

Use the present subjunctive after expressions of wish, doubt, emotion and hope, such as espero que or quiero que. The stem vowel changes in the stressed forms of the present: friego, friegas, friega and friegan — but nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: fregamos, fregáis. For fregar, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él friegue el suelo de la cocina — "I hope he washes the kitchen floor".

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

Use the imperfect subjunctive after past wishes and in si clauses about the past. The -ra forms are shown here; the -se forms use the same stem. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For fregar, the imperfect subjunctive (-ra) looks like this in a real sentence: Si yo fregara la sartén con estropajo, todo cambiaría — "If I washed the pan with a scourer, everything would change".

Imperative (affirmative)

Use the affirmative imperative for direct commands, instructions and invitations. The stem vowel changes in the stressed forms of the present: friego, friegas, friega and friegan — but nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: fregamos, fregáis. For fregar, the imperative (affirmative) looks like this in a real sentence: Friega los vasos antes de la fiesta. — "Wash the glasses before the party.".

Imperative (negative)

Use the negative imperative, always with no, to tell someone not to do something. The stem vowel changes in the stressed forms of the present: friego, friegas, friega and friegan — but nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: fregamos, fregáis. For fregar, the imperative (negative) looks like this in a real sentence: No friegues los platos después de cenar. — "Do not wash the dishes after dinner.".

Example sentences

Ten natural sentences with fregar, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.

  1. Yo friego los platos después de cenar — "I wash the dishes after dinner"
  2. Mi amigo friega el suelo de la cocina — "My friend washes the kitchen floor"
  3. Ayer, yo fregué la sartén con estropajo — "Yesterday, I washed the pan with a scourer"
  4. Antes, nosotros fregábamos los vasos antes de la fiesta — "Before, we used to wash the glasses before the party"
  5. Mañana, tú fregarás el baño cada sábado — "Tomorrow, you will wash the bathroom every Saturday"
  6. Yo fregaría los platos después de cenar si tuviera más tiempo — "I would wash the dishes after dinner if I had more time"
  7. Él ha fregado el suelo de la cocina — "He has washed the kitchen floor"
  8. Espero que él friegue la sartén con estropajo — "I hope he washes the pan with a scourer"
  9. Yo ya había fregado los vasos antes de la fiesta antes de salir — "I already had washed the glasses before the party before leaving"
  10. Ellos fregaban el baño cada sábado cuando eran jóvenes — "They used to wash the bathroom every Saturday when they were young"

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Yo frego el suelo de la cocina. — Right: Yo friego el suelo de la cocina. — fregar is a stem-changing verb (e → ie): the stem vowel changes in the stressed present forms, so the yo form is friego, not frego.
  2. Wrong: Espero que él friega el suelo de la cocina — Right: Espero que él friegue el suelo de la cocina — After espero que, Spanish requires the subjunctive: Espero que él friegue el suelo de la cocina — not the indicative Espero que él friega el suelo de la cocina.
  3. Wrong: Ayer, yo friego la sartén con estropajo — Right: Ayer, yo fregué la sartén con estropajo — Ayer points to a finished action in the past, so it needs the preterite: Ayer, yo fregué la sartén con estropajo.
  4. Wrong: De niño, yo fregué los vasos antes de la fiesta todos los días — Right: De niño, yo fregaba los vasos antes de la fiesta todos los días — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect, not the preterite: De niño, yo fregaba los vasos antes de la fiesta todos los días.
  5. Wrong: Yo friego en los platos después de cenar. — Right: Yo friego los platos después de cenar. — fregar takes this complement directly, with no preposition: Yo friego los platos después de cenar.

Quiz: test yourself

Ten questions on fregar. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.

  1. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ los platos después de cenar — "I wash the dishes after dinner" (present) A. friego B. friegas C. friega D. fregamos

  2. Complete the sentence: Él ______ el suelo de la cocina — "He washed the kitchen floor" (preterite) A. fregamos B. fregó C. fregué D. fregaste

  3. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ______ la sartén con estropajo — "We used to wash the pan with a scourer" (imperfect) A. fregabas B. fregabais C. fregábamos D. fregaba

  4. Complete the sentence: Tú ______ los vasos antes de la fiesta — "You will wash the glasses before the party" (future) A. fregaremos B. fregarás C. fregaré D. fregará

  5. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ el baño cada sábado — "I would wash the bathroom every Saturday" (conditional) A. fregaríais B. fregaría C. fregarías D. fregaríamos

  6. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ______ los platos después de cenar — "I hope he washes the dishes after dinner" (present subjunctive) A. friegues B. freguemos C. freguéis D. friegue

  7. Complete the sentence: Si yo ______ el suelo de la cocina, todo cambiaría — "If I washed the kitchen floor, everything would change" (imperfect subjunctive) A. fregarais B. fregara C. fregaras D. fregáramos

  8. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ______ la sartén con estropajo — "We have washed the pan with a scourer" (present perfect) A. has fregado B. ha fregado C. hemos fregado D. he fregado

  9. Complete the sentence: No ______ los vasos antes de la fiesta. — "Do not wash the glasses before the party." (negative imperative) A. freguéis B. friegues C. friegue D. freguemos

  10. Which is the gerund of fregar, used with estar for the progressive? A. fregado B. friego C. fregué D. fregando

Answer key

  1. friego — The present form for yo is friego.
  2. fregó — The preterite form for él/ella/Ud. is fregó.
  3. fregábamos — The imperfect form for nosotros/as is fregábamos.
  4. fregarás — The future form for tú is fregarás.
  5. fregaría — The conditional form for yo is fregaría.
  6. friegue — The present subjunctive form for él/ella/Ud. is friegue.
  7. fregara — The imperfect subjunctive form for yo is fregara.
  8. hemos fregado — The present perfect form for nosotros/as is hemos fregado.
  9. friegues — The negative imperative form is friegues.
  10. fregando — The gerund of fregar is fregando: estoy fregando. The participle fregado is used with haber instead.

Frequently asked questions

What does fregar mean in English?

fregar means to scrub, to wash (dishes). It is used in everyday situations such as Yo friego los platos después de cenar — "I wash the dishes after dinner". The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.

Is fregar regular?

No. fregar is a stem-changing -ar verb (e → ie). The stem vowel changes in the stressed forms of the present: friego, friegas, friega and friegan — but nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: fregamos, fregáis. The nosotros and vosotros forms keep the plain stem, which is the part learners most often get right by accident.

What is the gerund and the past participle of fregar?

The gerund is fregando and the past participle is fregado. Use the gerund with estar for the progressive, and the participle with haber for the perfect tenses.

How do I say "I wash" in the past?

It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: Ayer, yo fregué el suelo de la cocina — "Yesterday, I washed the kitchen floor". For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: De niño, yo fregaba la sartén con estropajo — "As a child, I used to wash the pan with a scourer". For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: Hoy, yo he fregado el suelo de la cocina — "Today, I have washed the kitchen floor".

What is the difference between fregar and lavar?

Lavar is the general verb for washing anything. Fregar is the scrubbing wash — dishes in the sink, floors with a mop. Fregar means to wash up or to scrub: fregar los platos, fregar el suelo. In Spain it is the standard verb for washing the dishes; in Latin America lavar los platos is more common.

Related links